INDEPENDENTLENS: The Revisionaries

Airs Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 11 p.m. on KPBSTV

Every ten years a group of 15 individuals convene to discuss, debate, and rewrite the teaching and textbook standards for the next generation of students. Hugely influential, these decisions mandate how science, history, and other core subjects will be taught. Who are the people who get to shape the textbooks for our nation’s students?

In large part it is the members of the Texas State Board of Education, whose decisions about standards for the state’s nearly five million schoolchildren hold enormous financial sway over publishers, who craft their textbooks based on the needs of their biggest buyers.

Courtesy of Zac Sprague

Scott Thurman and Don McLeroy in conversation after Don's Sunday school class.

Courtesy of Scott Thurman

Don McLeroy speaks with the media in between SBOE History/Social Studies TEKS deliberations.

Courtesy of Scott Thurman

Kathy Miller speaks to the press before the SBOE Science TEKS deliberations.

Directed by Scott Thurman, "The Revisionaries" goes to ground zero in the textbook wars, a moral battleground where every word is a weapon in the fight and no child can be left behind. The film premieres on INDEPENDENT LENS, hosted by Stanley Tucci, on Monday, January 28, 2013.

Shot over the course of three years, "The Revisionaries" follows the rise and fall of some of the most controversial figures in American education as they wage tumultuous intellectual battles. Don McLeroy is a dentist, Sunday school teacher, and an avowed young-earth creationist.

After briefly serving on his local school board, McLeroy was elected to the Texas State Board of Education and later appointed chairman. During his time on the board, McLeroy has overseen the adoption of new science and history curriculum standards, drawing national attention and placing Texas on the front lines of the so-called “culture wars.”

In his last term, McLeroy, aided by Cynthia Dunbar, an attorney from Houston and professor of law at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, finds himself not only fighting to change what students are taught, but fighting to retain his seat on the board.

To learn more about the film, visit the interactive companion website, which features detailed information on the film, including links and resources pertaining to the film’s subject matter. The site also features a Talkback section, where viewers can share their ideas and opinions.

Video

Trailer: Independent Lens: The Revisionaries

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Above: Witness an ongoing culture war raging in Texas — a tempest in a textbook. The state’s Board of Education has been engaged in a pitched, years-long battle over what belongs (and doesn’t) in public school textbooks. Legislators, educators, parents and students debate the facts and the theories — including what constitutes a fact versus a theory. The chair of the Board of Education fights tirelessly to include intelligent design in science books, while a board member argues to exclude mention of the slave trade and the Enlightenment in history books. The result is a chaotic scene, with the next generation’s education held hostage. For more about this film, visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/revisionaries/

Video

Video Excerpt: Independent Lens: The Revisionaries

Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page: http://video.kpbs.org/video/2310704224

Above: Don McLeroy, a dentist, Sunday school teacher, and avowed young-earth creationist, leads the Religious Right charge. McLeroy was elected to the Texas State Board of Education and later appointed chairman. During his time on the board, McLeroy has overseen the adoption of new curriculum standards, drawing national attention and placing Texas on the front line of the so-called “culture wars.”